The Newborn Years
by EdyeCullen
Summary: I am not very good at summaries. This is the first years of Bella as a Vampire. The family moves to Westchester County New York and this is a story of their lives together there.
1. Chapter 1

A/N This is a sequel to What Happens After Eclipse

**A/N This is a sequel to What Happens After Eclipse. Although that story didn't seem to finish completely, hopefully it will feel complete as this one progresses. Please review as you read. Suggestions are always welcome and if any of you are a beta with time on your hands, please feel free to allow me your services!**

**EPOV**

It has been three months since Bella's inadvertent change. That first glimpse she got of her vampire self was amusing to watch. I walked into the bathroom and she was just starting to wipe down the mirror. She was so tentative in her movements; I could feel apprehension in the air. She hadn't heard me enter so I just observed her movements.

Gingerly, she took in her form. I uttered a silent prayer that she would finally see herself as I see her. She gasped and her teeny jaw dropped. I couldn't hold in the giggle that erupted from inside. She turned around to look at me. I was at her side immediately and turned her around toward the mirror again. I pulled her wet hair out of the towel on her head and let it fall down her shoulders. A strand fell over her crimson eyes and I pulled it behind her ear.

"Bella, look at yourself. My love, you are the most exquisite woman ever to grace the earth. Your skin is as porcelain – but not so breakable! Your features are more defined. Your cheekbones are high; the hollow below them is breathtaking. Your glorious neck is overflowing with feminine grace. Do you see now, what I have always seen?"

In an instant she had turned in my arms and had wrapped me up in her loving embrace. She took my mouth to hers and kissed me passionately. For the first time, we could release ourselves with abandon. I carried her to our bed and we spent the next several hours blissfully enjoying ourselves; filling ourselves with passion, love and desire.

Oh, the love I have for this amazing creature. The gratitude I feel in my heart that she gave herself to me so freely is incalculable. Our bodies molded together perfectly. I have seen a lot of people in my 100+ years on this earth and it is clear that she is the one intended for me, and only me. I relish holding her to me, smelling her, kissing her, becoming one with her.

OOOOOOOOOOooooooooooOOOOOOOOooooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooOOOO

She adjusted to our way of life with grace and dignity. She was a skilled hunter and had actually developed a liking for mountain lion! Hunting has become 'one' of our favorite pastimes. I was so reticent about her reaction to this part of our life but she is a natural.

We decided, as a family, to move to New York State. There is a beautiful town about an hour north of New York City called Brewster. Esme found a wonderful old mansion that was filled with the artistry of the 18th century. In some ways, this was similar to our home in Forks. Three floors with a river close by. Esme made some of her own changes to make the home bear her signature touch. The wall on the West side had been turned to glass. As with the home in Forks, there were metal shutters ready to close at a moments notice to protect us, if necessary.

We left most of our furniture in Washington. Esme had chosen a different palette for this home. Instead of varying shades of white throughout she chose colors reflective of the glorious autumnal colors native to the Northeast. Gold, Red, Brown, Green and every color that lies within their respective spectrums.

The furnishings were rich in upholstery reflecting tapestries of old. The floors were hand scraped mahogany. She had found some of the most beautiful oriental rugs to grace each floor.

Esme had prepared our suite as a surprise. She kept her thoughts very closed to me until we arrived and she unveiled this masterpiece. Our suite was on the West side of the house. The walls that weren't window were a deep, rich burgundy silk. I had never seen this application before and was certain that Esme had come up with this herself. The fabric had a light watermark which was brought to life from the light of the window. The most astounding observation was there were no seams in this fabric. It was as if this had been woven to fit this room. I still can't wrap my mind around that becoming a reality.

There was an enormous king sized bed with heavy, wooden posts. These were ornately carved. Draping from the bed posts was a glorious gold Dupioni Silk. The sheets and other bedding articles were also a deep gold silk of varying weights and textures. The bed was a sensual center to this room.

The bathroom suite had a huge shower with 16 different shower heads. A full-sized hot tub in the middle of the enormous room invited warm, loving evenings. Plush white rugs adorned the travertine floors. Hand forged rod iron graced the walls and held the softest towels I had ever lain eyes on.

Both Bella and I were completely speechless. Esme beamed. We just grabbed her into a bone crushing hug. There were no words adequate for our love and emotion. Esme left us to discover the rest of the home on our own.

Each couple had their own suite. Each suite design unique to its inhabitants and their taste. All of us felt as though we had entered our personal heaven.

Carlisle had found work at a prominent hospital in New York City. Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett were taking classes at State University of New York Purchase. They all registered as freshmen. Bella and I would be taking correspondence courses for the first year or so.

Bella was taking a full compliment of English, Math and Science courses. I decided to take some advanced music theory classes as well as one in 20th Century composition.

Alice and Rosalie had decided that they would be Bella's personal shopper since she couldn't enjoy the life of the city yet. It was extremely beneficial that our closet was bigger than my whole bedroom and bathroom ensemble in Forks. Bella was getting pretty frustrated with all of these great clothes and nowhere to go!

Our only concern about moving so close to the city was easily appeased when we started to explore our surroundings. Brewster is a VERY small community. A hamlet, really. The homes are far apart; yet awfully close for a newborn. We found that the 20 acres we had were rich in wildlife and we weren't far at all from other forests brimming with more challenging 'dinners.' Bears were plentiful. Mountain lion were scattered but available. We all made a commitment to hunt together whenever Bella needed to hunt as a precautionary measure.

One day in October we were hunting and Bella froze in her place. Her head whipped around and her nostrils were flaring in and out at an alarming pace. Jasper, Emmett and I got hold of her and restrained her. Man, was she strong! Suddenly, amidst her powerful struggle we all got the scent of three humans. Hunting. Under different circumstances it would be humorous. Humans hunting, while they were being hunted. We were only about fourteen miles from our home. The three of us could get her home, couldn't we?

Her eyes were black with bloodlust. She struggled mightily against our combined strengths. Desperately, I hummed her lullaby hopeful that she would respond. Slowly, the fog of bloodlust lifted and she fell limp in our arms. We commanded her to hold her breath and she did so reluctantly. Finally, the realization of what could have happened gripped her completely. She folded herself into my arms and sobbed tearless sobs from deep down inside. It broke my heart. When we were within about five miles of our home we told her she could start to breathe again. She took a deep, unnecessary breath and continued sobbing. She lifted her face to mine and looked deeply within my eyes. "Please, please just take me home. I am still thirsty but I can't bear the thought of hurting anyone. Please, bring me the sustenance I need. Please, Edward, Please!"

I looked at Jasper and he sent calming waves to my sweet, loving Bella. Emmett gave me a knowing look and he was gone in a flash. I took my love to our room and laid her on the bed. Within 45 minutes Emmett was back with four large containers of fresh blood. Greedily, Bella drank deeply until the burn of thirst left her for a time.

We didn't talk much. Words weren't necessary as we tenderly expressed our love in the most intimate way. Holding one another, skin to skin, she whispered so low that I would have missed it if I were human. "Edward, how did you do it? How did you NOT kill me?"

"My sweet Isabella. I loved you from the moment I saw you. I could never kill you. Sweetheart, it took 90 years of this life for me to find you. Yes, your blood sang to me in a dangerous and tempting tune but your eyes held the love I had no idea I needed. Sweetheart, we will be more careful in the future. We won't go when Alice is off shopping again. If we do, we will ask her to keep a keen eye on our futures, ok?"

"Edward, we need to start preparing me for human interaction. I have to be ready!" She plead with me. "Bella, I understand, but we need to talk to Carlisle. He will know how to proceed. Trust me, we will do it when it is the right time." With that, she snuggled closer to me and we held each other in silence.

After several hours, Carlisle returned. We dressed and met him in his study.


	2. Chapter 2

Carlisle's office was situated on the second floor of the house

Carlisle's office was situated on the second floor of the house. It was very generously sized and Esme had done wonders. Richly dark wood shelving from floor to ceiling filled with every book, study or medical reference book Carlisle could have ever dreamt of. The room wasn't a square; this was so different for a house of the 18th century. It actually had 5 walls….a perfect pentagon. One entire wall housed the pictures of our history. Of course, it was Carlisle's history but we claimed it as our own. His desk was crafted of perfect mahogany; just the right luster to give it a graceful age and patina.

"_Edward, is she okay?"_ Carlisle's thoughts were filled with fatherly concern. I nodded imperceptibly for human eyes.

"Carlisle, Bella and I feel that we need to start exposing her to humans. She truly doesn't want to experience today again. How and when would you suggest we start this process?" I gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Bella, talk to me. What are you feeling?" Carlisle locked eyes with her.

"Carlisle, I know that we all make mistakes in the life we've chosen, but this is a mistake that I absolutely cannot live with. I need to find a safe way to become desensitized. The only thing I can think of is to somehow get different scents and work from there. Does that sound ludicrous?"

"Actually, I like it. You have always had such a unique way of looking at the world. Here is my thought. There are always people coming into the hospital with various wounds. Rarely, when the patient dies, do the family want the bloodied clothing returned to them. What would you think if I were able to bring some of the soiled clothing home and introduce you in a controlled environment. Of course, Edward and the family would know when I was going to expose you but you wouldn't. It will be a planned, safe experiment." Carlisle looked at me and thought, _"Edward, the blood from the recently injured is filled with the scent of fear, anger and other emotions. It is in its strongest form without the victim actually present with a heartbeat. It may just work."_

Bella looked from me to Carlisle and back again. A slow smile spread across her face, "Dad, I think that is a wonderful idea. When can we start??"

"Bella, I will get things as I can. This will take time and you need to understand that while this blood is fresh and carries the effects of their demise on their scent, it is merely a facsimile of actual interaction. It will take an enormous amount of effort when we transition to contact with live humans."

"Thank you. I feel better already." Bella reached across the desk and gave Carlisle a loving squeeze on the hand.

"_Edward, a word?"_ Carlisle thought.

"Bella, will you go find Alice, I can hear her barely able to contain herself. She has some sort of surprise for you." With a giggle, she was off to find her favorite sister.

"Edward, I think this may just work. We will have to take it slowly and we will all have to work with her to keep her from getting too discouraged."

"Carlisle, I will do all in my power to keep her safe. If it doesn't work for some reason, we can go to Alaska for awhile; just the two of us."

"If you go to Alaska, we will all go. We don't want her to think that she is being exiled or that we don't want to be with her. She needs all of us." With that, he patted me on the shoulder and said, "Let's get the ball rolling. I go back to work in an hour and a half. You may want to talk to Alice and see if she can see anything."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooOOO

I opened my mind to the thoughts of my family and I could tell that Bella was in Alice's room trying on some new clothing. Alice was blocking me by translating the Bible into German. Why couldn't she find something more original to translate?

I knocked on the door and Alice thought, _"Come on in, Edward. Just don't take Bella away. I am having too much fun!"_

Bella was standing there in a form fitting skirt in a dark, dark blue. She had a contrasting light blue top with a lace camisole under. The lace peeked its way above the plunging neckline of the top inviting my eyes to wander down to her delicate breasts. She looked stunning. Immediately I was grateful that we weren't going to school with the rest of the family. I know I couldn't stand to hear the thoughts of the other boys on campus.

She looked up at me from under her black lashes and rapidly blinked a few times. I wonder if she understands what that does to me…. I could have taken her RIGHT THERE!

I crossed the room in two strides and enveloped her in my arms. I looked deeply into her eyes and kissed her deeply hoping to convey my endless love. She returned the kiss eagerly. Alice thought, _"EDWARD! She is MINE for the next few hours. Keep yourself in check!"_

I unwound myself from the clutches of my love only to see her bottom lip push out in the most adorable pout I have ever seen. "Let Alice have some fun…besides, I think she is doing this for the both of us. She is blocking me so there is something in the works that she doesn't want me to know about just yet." I took in her glorious fragrance and went in search of my brothers.

**APOV**

"Ok, my stubborn Bella Barbie Girl, let's get this show on the road!" Bella groaned but acquiesced. I set her down in her "BBG" chair and started to futz with her hair. During her transformation her hair had taken on a luster that was truly breathtaking. It was times like these that I wished I could have had longer hair when I was changed. There is only so much you can do with short, short hair. Oh well….

I pulled her hair back into a pony tail. I curled the tail into about 20 corkscrew curls and they hung gracefully down her back. There were some light tendrils in front of each ear that I curled and let them hang lazily. Next was the make-up. Actually, since her change she needed less make-up that Rose and I. Her complexion was enviable. Maybe it was her newborn status, but there were hints of pink in her cheeks as though they were refusing to lose that endearing blush. You should see her skin in the light! OH MY GOODNESS! It shimmered pink on her cheeks. None of us could believe it when we saw it. She was beautiful.

"Alice, why are you smirking like that? What are you thinking??"

"Bella, I was just thinking about how beautiful you are and that you truly need less make-up than either Rose or me. Now sit still so I can get this done. Edward is impatiently waiting for you to play!"

Bella just sighed and said, "You don't see very well, do you? I look the same as usual, just more pale."

"Bella, will you ever see yourself as you really are?"

"Alice, I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I am concerned about Charlie and Renee. Have you seen how they are doing? I mean it has been three months they should be moving on, right?"

I hated to burst her bubble but I owed her the truth. "Bella, no parent is going to 'move on' after the loss of their child after only 3 months. I have been checking on them every few days and all I can say is that they are doing as well as possible under the circumstances."

"Does Charlie believe the whole accident story?" "Yes, Bella, but he had grown accustomed to you in the house and he is grieving that almost more than he did when Renee left. He is coping in his way and his friends from the station are keeping tabs on him. Renee is receiving what she needs from Phil. He is perfect for her, you know. She cries but is happy that you didn't suffer; that it was quick."

"Thank you, Alice. Can I ask you one more thing??"

"Of course, silly Bella, you can ask me anything."

"Will our plan work? You know, working with the bloody clothing of recently deceased humans?"

"Bella, it will work." Pause…. "to a degree. It will drive your need to hunt into overdrive, but it will help you develop a greater sensitivity to your likes and dislikes in our diet. You will become desensitized faster than any of us did, but it will still take time. You need to be patient."

"Alice, do you remember when we were in Phoenix running away from James?"

"Wow, Bella, you remember that? That is remarkable. Does Edward know this?"

"No, not yet. Anyway, I wondered at that time whether immortality gave you endless patience. I just couldn't understand how you and Jasper could sit there and not scream in frustration or run out of the room. I suppose I need to learn that kind of patience, but when will it come?"

I giggled. Did she not realize that she was being impatient to obtain patience?? It was truly laughable. "My dear, Bella Barbie Girl, it will come in time. Just chill, ok?"

I was done. She looked absolutely stunning. "Bella, you are ready to go play with Edward. Remind him that clothing items are NOT single wear items. He needs to let you enjoy your clothes more than five minutes." Sometimes I wondered about that brother of mine. What had 90 years of virginity done to him?

Bella left my bedroom and I heard Edward running up the stairs to meet her. "Oh Bella, you are a picture of perfection." A low growl escaped me as my eyes drank in her beauty.

**OK NOW you know what to do. Push that little button and review. Give me some cookies and will type at vampire speed…. Thanks!**


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